Jerome Huppert Woods Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
203 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Thshriver · CC BY-SA 3.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in River Grove
River Grove has 15 acres of parks, 1.4 for every 1,000 residents
3.9 miles of mapped trail cross River Grove, 1.6 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Jerome Huppert Woods Preserve (1.4 mi), Fullerton Woods Preserve (0.5 mi). 79% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns · #556 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
under 1%
4 acres · of 2.4 sq mi of land
Trails
3.9 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
15 ac
1.4 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
79%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.9 mi
2.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is River Grove?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does River Grove have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, River Grove is ahead of 44% of U.S. towns, #556 of 768 in Illinois. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of River Grove’s overall grade.
Conserved landunder 1% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%C−Trails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land1.4 acres of park per 1,000 residents (15 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home79% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 44%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 28%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Jerome Huppert Woods Preserve, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fullerton Woods Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
81 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Cook County
45 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Jerome Huppert Woods Preserve203 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsFullerton Woods Preserve81 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsTriton Grounds5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsForest Preserve District of Cook County45 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsLa Framboise Woods Preserve44 acres · Forest Preserve District of Cook County
DirectionsRiver Front Park6 acres · River Grove Park District
DirectionsTrumbull Park3 acres · River Grove Park District
Who protects it
4 conserved acres
under 1% of River Grove’s land. Who manages River Grove’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city4 ac
Local Park · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trumbell Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Shelton Field Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Kiddieland Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
12 places to go in River Grove
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in River Grove
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in River Grove
Evans Field Grove #1In Jerome Huppert Woods Preserve
DirectionsFullerton Woods Family Picnic AreaHours: sunrise-sunset
DirectionsFullerton Woods Grove #1In Fullerton Woods Preserve
DirectionsJerome Huppert Woods Grove #1In Jerome Huppert Woods Preserve
DirectionsSunset Bridge Meadow Grove #1In Jerome Huppert Woods Preserve
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Baseball
11Tennis
8Pickleball
5Soccer
2Football
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Dorhmann-Buckman HouseBuilding · listed 1995
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in River Grove: April, July and September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in River Grove →
Next door
River Grove and its neighbors
River Grove has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Grove | under 1% | 1.6 | 1 | 79% | C+ |
| Elmwood Park | under 1% | 1.1 | under 1 | 99%+ | B− |
| Melrose Park | 2% | 0.1 | 2 | 99%+ | C+ |
| Franklin Park | 1% | 0.1 | 2 | 99%+ | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in River Grove
Where can I hike in River Grove?
The longest trail networks: Jerome Huppert Woods Preserve, 1.4 miles; Fullerton Woods Preserve, 0.5 miles; Triton Grounds, 0.3 miles; Forest Preserve District of Cook County, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of River Grove is conserved land?
under 1% of its land, against a typical 4% for an Illinois town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on River Grove’s trails?
Jerome Huppert Woods Preserve and Fullerton Woods Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in River Grove?
2.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near River Grove?
10,443 acres of parks and open public land lie inside River Grove or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 15 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does River Grove have?
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #556 of 768 in Illinois. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from River Grove neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →